“Where Is the Lord?” 

Jeremiah 2: 4 – 13

Makemie Presbyterian Church

August 29, 2010

(The prophet Jeremiah is speaking) “Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob & all the families of the house of Israel. ⁵Thus says the Lord: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me & went after worthless things & became worthless themselves? ⁶They did not say, “Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts & pits, in a land of drought & deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?” ⁷I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits & it’s good things. But when you entered you defiled my land & made my heritage & abomination. ⁸The priests did not say, “Where is the Lord?” Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal & went after things that do not profit.                    

⁹Therefore once more I accuse you, says the Lord & I accuse your children’s children. ¹⁰Cross to the coasts of Cyprus & look, send to Kedar & examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. ¹¹Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. ¹²Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, ¹³for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water & dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.

This ends our reading.

The prophet Jeremiah tells the people to ask this question, “Where is the Lord?” He wants the people to ask the right question. Asking the right question is really important. And the knowing of the right question versus the wrong question. An example of a wrong question in sports, “Will Brett Favre retire? Or will Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets become the highest paid cornerback earning more than Nnamdi Asomugha?”

 Or a wrong social question? Does this dress make me look fat? Or will Chelsea Clinton convert to Judaism?

Or in a job interview a wrong question to be asked might be, “Have you ever brought a lawsuit against an employer?” Or for the person interviewing to ask, “Can I use your phone? I need to call my ride?”

As Agent Brown says in the movie the Matrix, “Perhaps we are asking the wrong question.”

I remember being interviewed by the Rev. Lacy Harwell. I was coming up from the Florida migrant mission field; encouraged by two volunteers from Maximo the church now hiring a Christian Educator/Youth Worker. As we sat out on the church patio in the cool of the evening, under the moonlit palms, Lacy asked me, “Debra, where is God working in your life?” It was as if he touched me with a live wire, it was such a right question for me in my faith journey.    

If we don't ask the right questions, we can't get the right answers. That's a basic principle of success in almost any endeavor. All of you who are gathered here today can more than likely think of times in your life when you had to ask the right questions. As a matter of fact, it can be devastating to not ask the right questions.

To the real estate agent, "Is this house on a flood plain?"

To the used car salesman, "Can I have the phone number of the little old lady who owned this car?

To the insurance agent, "Can you tell me what is not covered?"

The bible's story of redemption is launched with a question; "Adam, where are you?"

Jesus' question to Peter established the foundation of the Church, "Who do people say that I am?"

Our scripture lesson this morning begins with a question. God asks all of Israel, "What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me & went after worthless things & became worthless themselves?"

Israel traded God for "worthless things" (pagan gods) and became worthless. Listen carefully to the principle here. You've heard the saying, "You are what you eat." Jeremiah's twist on this is, "You become what you seek." Or we become like the thing(s) we worship. If what we worship -- that is to say seek with all our hearts -- is worthless, that is what we will become. The critical question Jeremiah commends to us is, "What do I really, truly worship?"

If the object of my worship is anything other than God, then I have allowed my spirit to "go after worthless things..." Then what happens? What happens is... I become worthless! Do you see? If I worship anything other than God, I "trash" my spirit.

What would you think of someone who traded a brand new Mercedes for a used Yugo? Or how about someone who would swap a big rock-sized diamond for a cubic zirconium? "Not too bright," you might say. Or perhaps you would twirl your index finger at your temple and mutter, "Nutty!"

Another example to get at the sense of our scripture today is one that will surely divide this congregation into distinct generations! How many of you remember when movie star Eddie Fisher traded his sweet, twenty five year old wife, Debbie Reynolds for that "worldly" Elizabeth Taylor? (If you remember that incident -- you are dated! If you don't remember it, you are probably a part of the generation that is not counting too heavily on Social Security!) In any case -- those who remember can recall the general reaction that echoed Jeremiah's words, "Be appalled, O heavens at this, be shocked..." How could Eddie Fisher give up that sweet young woman for her? (You may also remember that Eddie didn't last long!)

Jeremiah's words in our text paint a powerful word picture of people who traded in something of supreme value for something worthless. And they sound a clear warning to anyone who would even think about placing their hope & trust in anything less than God. "...They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters & dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water."

Why? Why would anyone in their right mind give up the clear spring waters of the oasis for a leaky canteen & head into the desert? Now, get hold of this... They did not ask the right question!

The people forgot where they had come from & who had led them to safety. If Moses warned Israel once, he warned them a hundred times, "Do not forget the Lord! Remember the Lord!" [Deut. 8:8, 8:11, 8:19]

The people forgot to say, "Where is the Lord...?" That's the critical question that keeps us in close relationship with God.

* "Where is God in my career?"
* "Where is God in my family?"
* "Where is God in my desires?"

Or as Lacy asked, “Where is God in your life today?” Another great way to ask the question is, "Where is God as my day begins?"  Yepper.  When we wake up, trailing clouds of glory, a moment of thankfulness for another day. “Where is God in my life?”

 There's another important issue here. God holds the people accountable for their own spiritual lives. It is not acceptable to "beg-off" saying,